


taking small steps back home

by alittlelesspain



Category: Captain Marvel (2019)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 20:51:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18156899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlelesspain/pseuds/alittlelesspain
Summary: As Carol and Maria rebuild their family after so many years apart, sometimes the little moments matter just as much as the big, life-defining ones.Little moments such as: a simple photo shoot.





	taking small steps back home

 

They rebuild their small family little by little, in the stretches of time when Carol is not off in space fighting some threat or other.

There are big moments that define these stretches of time when she's home: the first time her and Maria confess their love to each other, the commitment ceremony they hold after she properly proposes to Maria,  Monica's graduation from elementary school.

But, right alongside these life-defining events, there are small and seemingly inconsequential ones, that let Carol know that she's truly found her family again, that she once more has a place in the world where she _belongs._

Small things, for instance, like a simple photo.

* * *

 

"A family photo?" Maria blinks up at Carol. Carol notices that her hands are still unconsciously rifling through the high school admissions brochure she'd been skimming, even as her attention is focused on Carol.

"It's been eight years now," Carol says. " I've been looking at Monica's photoboard. It's about time we got an updated one to put on it, don't you?"

She smiles at Maria, and sees an answering smile bloom. It is, as always, a slow transformation of her face, in subtle shifts of elation. Also as always, Carol watches transfixed.

"Alright," Maria says in a low register, before raising her voice. "Monica? Come here, baby."

There's the padding of feet down carpeted stairs, and then Monica barrels into view, so fast that it's almost as if - and Carol is willing to bet that's the case - she'd been waiting for the call. She almost trips over the rug in her haste, as she reaches them, but Carol sweeps her up at the last time, in a windmill of arms.

"Careful!" Carol rights Monica, while Maria sighs and rolls her eyes upwards in a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Could've gotten in some real trouble there, lieutenant."

"Sorry, _sorry_." Monica giggles, and squirms around until Carol lets her go.

"Since I'm sure you weren't eavesdropping at all," Maria says, fixing a stern look at her daughter, which is returned with a meek poker face by Monica that Carol is incredibly proud of. "I'm sure you didn't hear that we're gonna be taking a new family photo, and that you're gonna need to get dressed."

Monica nods meekly and barrels off again, and Maria fixes Carol with the same stern look.

"She got that from you," she accuses, getting up from the kitchen table and wandering in Carol's direction.

Carol just smirks back at her, and Maria's stern look dissolves into a smile that she seems to be physically fighting off.

"Come on." Carol slings an arm around her waist and draws her close, dropping the rest of her words against her ear in a lower register. "If we're fast enough in dressing, I'll show you what else she got from me."

Although Maria rolls her eyes, Carol still feels her melt into the hold. As she leans against Carol, the lines of Maria's face soften, as if some great weight has been taken off her.

"It's good to have you home," she says, quietly.

Instantly, Carol feels guilty. She tries to be home as much as she can. But, between finding the Skrulls a new home, and rounding up the thousands of refugees scattered in every sector of their galaxy, she finds herself stuck in space for weeks on end sometimes. Helping out on one planet or another, and unable to see the two most important people in her life except via the comms.

"I'm sorry," she says, "I should be home more, I know. I should be" - she sneaks a look back the admissions brochure left on the kitchen table - "I should be helping out more with things like that. I promise I'll be back in time to do the school visits with you."

"Hey, hey," Maria says quietly, jostling her to get Carol's attention. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you've got things to do, out there. I just meant, it's nice, having my co-pilot back, sometimes."

Instead of answering, Carol draws her closer, knowing that words aren't enough, not to explain everything she feels in her heart, towards Maria and towards their family. Words aren't enough to explain that the only regret she feels over her newfound powers is that they keep her away from the two people that she longs to be with always. Words aren't enough to explain that the only place she'll ever call home is the one she has made with the woman beside her, and her daughter rushing around upstairs.

Words aren't enough, so she holds Maria and deposits a soft kiss against her temple - if she makes any further move, they'd probably be hearing a drawn out complaint from Monica - and hopes that someday soon, this war hanging over their heads will end, and they can go back to what they were again, just a family of three that had found each other amidst all the tumult of the world.

* * *

 

They make a short stop on the way to the photo studio, to pick up a very disgruntled Flerken from a very disgruntled Fury.

"Thought you were leaving her with me for the whole weekend," he grumps, as he hands Goose over. "Take good care of her, now."

"We'll be back with her before you know it, mom," Carol calls back, as they drive off, and settles back in her seat with a grin, while Goose climbs all over her, meowing out her dislike at being taken away from her favorite human.

"Damn, he really is attached to that cat, huh?" Maria remarks, glancing away briefly from the road.

"Mm-hmm," Carol murmurs, as the flerken finally climbs off her and dozes off to sleep on the dashboard. "You know, I think being a lethal weapon just made him fonder of her, somehow."

* * *

 

They make it to the studio in one piece, but it turns out that maybe having Goose in the family photos isn't as good an idea as Carol had initially thought. Because, the flerken takes one look at the glares of the cameras around them, and freaks out.

"Mrooowwwr!!!"

Carol manages to close her hands over Goose's mouth just in time to trap the tentacles, glancing sheepishly at the terrified photographer's assistant who had been helping them get settled in the booth.

"Um," Maria states into the elongated silence, which is broken only by a quiet snicker from Monica. "Maybe we should take a rain check, or just do this at home."

She leads the way out of the studio after many apologies for the cancellation, Carol keeping a watchful eye on Goose until they're out in the open air.

"Never a dull moment when you're here, is there?" Maria says, as they walk aimlessly in the direction of the crowds.

"It's why you keep me around, isn't it?" Carol says, smiling at her until she sees the unwilling upward tilt of Maria's mouth, before turning to wink at Monica. "Come on, Goose Danvers deserves to be in the photo."

"Goose Danvers?" Maria raises her eyebrows. "You've given the cat a last name? No, never mind, I'm not even surprised."

"I like it," Monica chimes in. "Welcome to the family, Goose Danvers!"

Goose mews back, as if in reply, and Maria sighs.

"I can see when I'm outnumbered," she says, shaking her head, before turning her attention to the ice cream stall on the sidewalk. "Alright, let's not waste an outing. How do flerkens feel about chocolate ice cream?"

Monica is off running towards the stall before she finishes the question, and Goose jumps out of Carol's arms, chasing after her.

"They like it as much as Lieutenant Trouble does, I think," Carol says, lazily looping an arm around Maria's shoulders - this part is new, that they're now in a time where it's more okay to do things like this, out in the open, and she revels in it every single time when they're out - and depositing a languid kiss against her cheek. "Why don't we go and find out?"

They walk towards their daughter, all disappointments about ruined photoshoots and lost time forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, I really didn't think I had any more fanfics left in me, and then I watched Captain Marvel, and Carol looked at Maria with so much love and longing every time they were on screen, and I was just. Gone.
> 
> Thank you for reading! I really hope you liked this, because I hope to write more for them.
> 
> (P.S: If you want to send me fic requests you can do so [here](https://dedicated-duck.tumblr.com) or art requests [here](http://sanga-manga.tumblr.com)!)


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